What Follows After
by A1fictiongrl
Summary: This story is about what happens after the "Fisher King" episodes now that the team knows about Reid's mom. Rated T just to be safe. For Namira. Story is now COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

What Follows After

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, all rights belong to CBS and the writers of the show…**

**This fanfic was thought of by and is written for Namira **** Also, all mistakes are my own.**

REID

The Randall Garner case was over. Randall, or the "Fisher King" as he called himself, had blown himself up, almost killing the team and his daughter in the process.

Once we returned to the BAU, Hotch had offered me the use of the private jet to take my mother back to Vegas, and I had taken advantage of that offer.

I looked over at mother, who was staring out the plane window nervously. She hates to fly.

"Mother, the plane is about to land."

"Okay" she said. She hadn't said more than a few words the entire flight, which was just as well. I had been reading her one of Marjorie Kemp's works, as it calms her down.

The plane landed, and as we were about to catch a cab, I noticed a shuttle with the name Bennington on the side. The Bennington Sanitarium was where my mother lived, so we walked over to the shuttle, and I went around the front of the van to speak to the driver.

"Are you Spencer Reid?" he asked.

"Yes…"

"We received a call from a Penelope Garcia, telling us that you would need a ride from the airport".

"Oh." I stood there, flustered for a moment; and then coming back to reality, loaded my mother onto the shuttle and sat down beside her.

As we arrived at the Sanitarium, Mother's doctor met us at the entrance.

"Welcome back, Diana." "Did you have a nice visit with your son?"

"Yes, I need to go now, my lecture starts in 15 minutes," Mother said.

"Yes of course," the Doctor said graciously.

I told Mother goodbye, thanked the Doctor and one of the Bennington staff called me a cab to get me back to the airport.

The jet had been kept waiting at the airstrip, so I boarded and told the pilot that we could head back to Quantico.

I sat down and let out a sigh. I would never tell anyone how much energy dealing with my mother took out of me.

I rubbed at the headache that was forming above my right eye and settled down on the couch, deciding to catch a nap on the flight home.

Meanwhile, back at the BAU…

"Garcia," Morgan said, stepping into the lair.

"Yes, my chocolate God?" Garcia responded, swiveling around in her chair.

Morgan chuckled. "Babygirl, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure," she said. "What can I do you for?"

"Why is Reid's mom in a mental hospital?"

"Baby boy, why do you need to know that? I don't feel right prying into his life."

"Babygirl, I need to know" Morgan said.

What Morgan didn't say was that he thought of Reid as a brother. He cared about Reid and whatever bothered Reid, bothered Morgan.

"Schizophrenia," Garcia said, so quietly that he almost missed it.

"How…" Morgan began.

"I knew you would come looking, Morgan. I know you. As much as you pretend not to, I know how much you care about Reid."

He started to say something, but Garcia stopped him. She came up to him and hugged him, saying, "don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

She turned around, grabbed a file from her desk and handed it to him.

"This is everything," she said.

**Okay guys, what do you think of the first chapter? Be honest! All reviews and PMs are appreciated! **


	2. Chapter 2

**SORRY for my very VERY late post. Alright, alright! I said sorry! …But anyways :-)**

**All mistakes are my own, and I don't own Criminal Minds :-) Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

As Reid stepped off the jet, all he could think about was getting home and going to bed. He was exhausted.

As he went to head into the airport, he noticed a black SVU on the tarmac. As he walked closer, the driver's side door opened and a man got out.

"Morgan?" Reid asked, not quite believing what he was seeing, "What are you doing here?"

"I talked to one of the pilots before you left and told him to call when you got back."

"Why?" Reid asked, just a little suspicious.

"I didn't want you to have to take a cab home" Morgan said.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride."

Reid followed Morgan and got in the car.

"Did your mom get home okay?" Morgan asked, starting the car.

"Yeah, it was a stressful flight though. She hates to fly" Reid said, leaving it at that.

Morgan sensed that Reid didn't want to talk and wisely kept silent.

The rest of the drive was quiet, punctuated only by occasional yawns from Reid.

Morgan pulled up to Reid's apartment building and as Reid went to get out of the car, Morgan stopped him with a hand on his arm and a soft "Reid, wait."

"What is it, Morgan?"

"I know."

"Know what?" Reid asked, confused. He was way too tired to play games.

"About your mom; why she was put in the hospital" Morgan said slowly and carefully.

"You-you WHAT?" Reid yelled.

"Why didn't you tell me Reid? I'm your best friend."

"How do you know I wouldn't have?!" Reid asked, furious.

"You had Garcia look into it, didn't you?! So now she knows too."

"Dammit, Morgan. That was an invasion of privacy. You of all people should know what that means." Reid said, his voice dangerously calm now.

"Reid…" Morgan began.

"Don't. Just don't, Morgan."

Reid got out of the car and slammed the door behind him. He walked quickly into his building, anger displayed in his every step.

As Reid walked into the building, Morgan uttered a single phrase.

"What did I do?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, haven't posted in a while, here's ch.3. I know it's really short, but I felt that this was a good stopping point for the chapter. I'll try to upload the next chapter soon (and make it longer).**

**As always, all rights to Criminal Minds belong to CBS and all mistakes are my own. Enjoy! **

Chapter 3

Reid walked inside his apartment and slammed the door, fuming.

He had known Morgan and Hotch might have overheard what he said to the "Fisher King", but this?

Specifically looking into his past and his mother?

That was going **too** **far.**

Now the whole team was probably going to know because Garcia couldn't keep her mouth shut to save her life and…

Whoa. Reid stopped himself, realizing what he had just thought.

Garcia didn't deserve that. He loved Garcia.

Reid took a calming breath.

Garcia wouldn't say anything. She was protective of knowledge about the team; especially after Randall Garner had hacked into her system to get information about the team.

…But how much did she and Morgan know?

Did they know that his dad had left him and his mother when he was young?

Reid sat down on his couch with a heavy heart.

_Did they know that _HE _was the one that put her in that hospital?_

That he was the one that had locked her away?

Reid put his head in his hands and the tears came, the sobs shaking his body.

**WHEW. This one almost made me cry and I was the one writing it! Reviews and PMs are appreciated! Let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! As promised, here is the next chapter.**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own.**

Chapter 4

Reid was still sitting on the couch, the sobs finally abating, when he heard someone knock on his door.

When he didn't get up to answer it, whoever it was started banging very loudly.

Afraid it would disturb his neighbors; he yelled "I'm coming!" and went to answer it.

He opened the door and there stood Morgan.

"What do you want, Morgan?" "Haven't you done enough damage for one night?"

"Are you going for round two, going to beat a man while he's down?" Reid asked, his anger getting the better of him.

"Reid, I'm sorry," Derek said quietly.

"I don't want to hear it, Derek" Reid said, walking back to the couch and sitting.

Morgan followed him into the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

Reid sat on the couch dejectedly.

"Reid, are you alright?" Morgan asked, concerned.

"Let's see. Hmmm… Am I alright?"

"Well, I just had to take my mother back to a mental hospital, and you just told me that you and Garcia went prying into my personal, and might I add, PRIVATE life!"

"How do YOU think I'm doing?!" "Jesus, Morgan! You don't think!"

A few minutes passed and Reid spoke, calmer this time.

"How much do you know?" he asked slowly.

Morgan spoke, just as slowly. "I know that your mom has schizophrenia and is in a mental institution in Vegas."

"What else?" Reid asked.

Morgan hesitated.

"What else?" Reid asked again.

"I know your- your dad left you alone with your mom when you were 7 and…"

"And what?" Reid asked, dreading what he knew Morgan was going to say next.

"…you were the one that committed your mom," Morgan finished, not meeting Reid's eyes.

"Dammit" Reid said his voice breaking.

"Reid, I…" Morgan began.

"Get out," Reid said quietly.

"No. I'm not leaving," Morgan said firmly, "I left you alone once; I'm not going to do that again."

"Just leave, Morgan," Reid said, putting his head in his hands.

"No" Morgan said, moving over to the couch next to Reid.

"Don't," Reid said, on the verge of tears.

"I'm here and I'm not going anywhere" Morgan said.

With that, Reid gave in and let the tears fall.

"I'm here."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, here's chapter 5. Hope you enjoy! **

**As always I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own.**

Chapter 5

"What do you want Morgan?" "Why are you here?"

"You already know everything there is to know."

"Reid, I didn't look into your past because I was nosy or wanted to hurt you."

"I did it because I care about you. Why didn't you tell us, Reid? "

"You don't have to shoulder this alone."

"The team could've helped you."

"I didn't want to bother anyone" Reid said softly.

"Reid, we're a family. That's what family is for."

"Are you sure you want that Morgan? I don't have a great track record with family."

"Neither do pretty much any of us, Reid."

After a brief pause Morgan added, "Well…except for me of course."

Reid couldn't help laughing at that.

"So…are we okay?" Morgan asked.

"Not completely…, but getting there" Reid said.

"I'll take it" Morgan said.

Morgan got up to leave and then stopped.

Turning back, Morgan said, "Hey Reid? I really am sorry."

"I know" Reid said, smiling slightly.

"If you ever need someone to listen, you know I'm here right?"

"Yes, Derek, I know."

Heading towards the door, Morgan stopped again.

"…I won't tell anyone, Reid. I'll make sure Garcia doesn't either."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Spencer said "Thank you."

"See you at work tomorrow," Derek said, finally leaving.

"See you" Reid said, getting up to lock the door.

Sitting back down on the couch, Reid felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He wasn't alone anymore.

**PMs and reviews are appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! All mistakes are my own,**

…**and unfortunately I don't own Criminal Minds. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

Reid got into work the next morning and went immediately to get coffee.

He hadn't slept very well the night before. Strangely, it wasn't because of what Morgan and Garcia had found out.

This just seemed to happen after a visit with his mother. He would spend the entire night thinking about her and overcome with guilt over having to put her back in that mental hospital.

Coming out of his reverie, he saw Garcia walking toward him.

"Hey boy genius, can we talk?"

She looked like she hadn't slept well either.

"Yeah" Reid said, yawning.

He followed her down the hallway to her office, coffee in hand.

Turning to face him, she said "I did something. Something you might not like."

"Garcia," he said, holding up a hand to stop her, "if this is about the information you gave Morgan; it's okay."

"Oh- he told you?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes. He showed up at the airstrip when I got back from taking my mom home."

"Oh, Reid, I'm sorry." "If I had known I would've stopped him. Sometimes Morgan has the worst timing in the world."

"He shouldn't have sprung that on you."

"It's alright, Garcia." "He told me, I got mad, I vented, and he apologized."

"So…are we okay?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, Garcia; we're okay" Reid said smiling.

"Okay," Garcia said, sniffling a little, "now that we've got that out, I'm going in for the hug."

"Garcia…"

"No, Reid. If you don't hug me, it means that you haven't forgiven me." With that, Garcia stood, albeit defiantly, and waited.

"Okay, okay" Reid said. Walking forward, he allowed Garcia to hug him.

"Okay. Now I feel better." "Oh, and Morgan called me and told me not to say anything; which is ridiculous. I would never tell anyone unless you wanted me too."

"I'm glad, Garcia."

She smiled at him. "Now go to work," she said, practically shoving him out the door, almost spilling his coffee in the process.

Reid walked down the hallway to the bullpen grinning.

Talking with Garcia always put him in a good mood.

As he passed the elevators, Hotch stepped out.

"Hey Hotch" Reid said, "just getting in?"

"Yes. Jack was sick last night. He kept Haley and me up half the night."

"How's your mom? Did you get her home okay?" Hotch asked as they walked into the bullpen.

"Yes. She didn't like the flight too much, but other than that everything went fine."

"Is she not a fan of flying?" Hotch asked.

"Not at all," Reid said, "she's terrified of flying."

As they approached the stairs by Hotch's office, Reid asked, "Can I…talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," Hotch said, looking at Reid with concern, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just need to talk to you."

Hotch led Reid into his office and shut the door.

Reid sat down on the couch and Hotch took the chair closest to him.

"What's up?" Hotch asked.

"Well, first I wanted to thank you for letting me use the jet to take my mom home. I know you usually don't allow us to use the jet other than for official business, so thank you."

"Reid it was no problem, I-" Reid cut him off. "There's one other thing I have to say."

"Okay…" Hotch said, gesturing for him to continue.

"I know you must have questions about my mother; about how she knew Randall Garner, and I know you heard me when I told him that my mother had schizophrenia."

"Reid, let me stop you there. If you don't want to tell me about your mother, I get it. It's personal."

"I don't want you to think that I'm keeping things from you and the team…"

"No, Reid. As long as it isn't affecting your work or causing you harm, you don't have to tell me."

"Thank you. Thank you for everything, Hotch."

"You're welcome, Reid. I'm here if you need to talk" Hotch said, rising to open the door.

Reid murmured his thanks once more before leaving the office.

As he walked towards his desk, he saw Morgan enter the bullpen.

"Hey Morgan" he said, sitting down at his desk.

"Hey kid." Coming closer, Morgan saw how exhausted Reid looked.

"Did you get _any_ sleep last night?" he asked, concerned.

"A little" Reid said unconvincingly.

"Liar. Reid, if this is because of what Garcia and I did…" Morgan began.

"No, Morgan" Reid began in a low voice, "this happens every time I have a visit with my mother."

"The guilt and the memories keep me awake."

"Reid, you should've called me."

"And kept you up all night too?" Reid asked.

"Reid, when I said I would be there I meant it; the same when I said you didn't have to shoulder this alone."

"Next time, call".

"I will, I promise."

**So there it is. Hope you guys liked it! PMs and Reviews are appreciated. Thanks to Namira for giving me the idea for this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Here is Chapter 7! The chapter starts with a bit of a time jump.**

**As always, I do not own Criminal Minds, all mistakes are my own, blah blah blah yada yada. Enjoy! And thank you to everyone for your reviews, follows, and favorites :-)**

Chapter 7

_One Month Later…_

REID

Reid walked into the bullpen with a smile.

He had actually gotten a full eight hours of sleep last night and hadn't needed to call Morgan about nightmares.

Since Morgan and Garcia had found out about his past, they had actually grown closer.

They would frequently get together for dinner or a movie after a case or when they had a day off and he had come to enjoy their company.

As Reid sat down at his desk, he spotted Morgan getting coffee and flirting with Garcia, who was seated at the break table, flirting right back.  
Reid chuckled and started on some paperwork he hadn't gotten to the night before.

MORGAN

Morgan stopped flirting and stared. "Did he just laugh?"

"MmmHmm," Garcia grinned, "and he was smiling when he walked in this morning."

"I think being able to talk to someone about his mom is really helping him" she added.

"And he's spending more time with actual people."

"I think we've actually become friends" Morgan said.

"You're a good influence" Garcia said, standing up.

"Now I have to go do some actual work" she said kissing him on the cheek.

"Flirting with me isn't work?" he asked, pretending to be hurt.

"Oh honey, flirting with you is never work."

With that, she headed out into the hallway, leaving Morgan laughing after her.

REID

Reid had only made a small dent in his paperwork when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Reid, this is Dr. Carrington from Bennington Sanitarium."

"Dr. Carrington, what can I do for you?"

There was silence on the line for a few moments.

It was so quiet that Reid thought the call had been dropped. Just as he was about to hang up the phone the Doctor spoke.

"Dr. Reid, I don't know how to tell you this…"

"Tell me what?" Reid asked, the worry in his voice catching Morgan's attention.

Morgan walked over, concern etched on his face.

"Tell me what?" Reid repeated into the phone.

"Your mother…" the Doctor cleared his throat, "your mother is missing."

"What?" Reid whispered.

Now Reid was the one to clear his throat.

"What do you mean missing?" Reid asked.

"She wasn't in her room this morning and there were signs of a struggle."

"We called the police and they searched the entire hospital. It appears she was kidnapped."

"Kid—napped?" Reid squeaked.

He sat there, stunned, oblivious to Dr. Carrington's repeated Hellos.

After a minute of Reid's silence, Morgan took the phone.

"Hello? Yes. Yes. I'll make sure. Yes."

Morgan continued talking on the phone for a few minutes more and then hung up.

He handed the phone back to Reid, waited a beat, and then grabbed Reid's shoulder and shook him slightly.

"Reid. Snap out of it."

MORGAN

Reid looked up at Morgan with an expression so lost it almost broke Morgan's heart.

"What do I do, Morgan?"

Morgan took charge. "Here's what we're gonna do."

"You are going to go home and pack a bag. I am going to book two seats on the earliest flight to Vegas; then I am going to tell Hotch what's going on and request emergency leave for the both of us."

Reid kept nodding until what Morgan said hit him.

"Wait, two seats? Both of us? Tell Hotch? Morgan…"

"Reid, I am not taking no for an answer. I am coming with you to Vegas and we are telling Hotch."

"Morgan…" Reid began, his voice rising slightly.

"Reid." "Hotch can help. The FBI handles kidnapping cases all the time. We may be able to convince the local PD that the FBI can help."

"You have a point" Reid said, in a normal voice, because he noticed their heated conversation was starting to attract J.J. and Prentiss's attention.

"Okay, do you want to talk to Hotch or do you want me to do it?" Morgan asked.

Reid gulped and said, somewhat shakily, "I'll do it."

"Do you want me to go in there with you?" Morgan asked.

"No, you need to get Garcia to buy our plane tickets and tell her what's going on" Reid said, standing up.

"I need to do this. Hotch deserves an explanation."

"An explanation for what?" Hotch asked.

Morgan and Reid both jumped; they had been so focused on their conversation that they hadn't heard Hotch come up until he spoke.

"I need to speak to you privately" Reid said, "it's an urgent matter."

He followed Hotch into his office and shut the door behind him.

Before J.J. and Prentiss could ask Morgan what was going on, he was halfway to Garcia's office.

REID

Before Hotch could even sit down Reid blurted, "my mother's been kidnapped."

Hotch froze. "What?"

"My mother has been kidnapped. She has schizophrenia. She lives at Bennington Sanitarium where I committed her to when I was 18 because my father left us when I was little."

Reid babbled on, not pausing to take a breath until Hotch held up a hand to stop him.

"Woah. Reid, slow down or you're going to hyperventilate."

"What do you need me to do?"

Surprised, Reid stumbled over his words for a minute.

"Uh..Um..I need to go on emergency leave and Morgan asked that you grant him leave as well."

"Wait. Morgan knows?" Hotch asked, surprised.

"Yes. He and Garcia went snooping a month ago. I told him he didn't need to come but, you know Morgan, he wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Take as much time as you need," Hotch said without hesitation, "Morgan too."

"Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

"Thank you" Reid said, turning to leave.

"Reid?"

"Yes?"

"What do you want me to tell the team if they ask?"

Reid took a breath.

"Tell them the truth."

**Alright, there it is. All reviews and PMs are appreciated! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's the next chapter. I don't own Criminal Minds, any mistakes are my own.**

**Enjoy! And thanks to all who reviewed, favorited and followed. I appreciate you!**

Chapter 8

GARCIA

Morgan stepped into Garcia's office and Garcia spun around in her chair to face him.

"To what do I owe this fine pleasure?" she asked.

"Garcia, I need you to get me two tickets to Las Vegas on the earliest flight you can find," Morgan said, getting right down to business.

Garcia immediately got to work, not pausing to ask any questions. She could tell he was serious.

"I've got two seats on a Delta flight at 10:45 this morning" she said, not even a minute later.

"Good. Buy them with my credit card. I trust you can find that information."

"Already done. Morgan, what is this about?"

"Reid's mom is missing. It looks like she's been kidnapped."

"Oh!" Garcia sucked in a shocked breath as her eyes filled with tears.

"I have to go Garcia, I have to help Reid." Morgan turned to go, but thought better and grabbed Garcia in a quick hug.

"Derek. You have to find her. You find our boy's momma, whatever it takes. It doesn't matter if we work the case officially or not. You call me if you need me" she said into his shoulder.

"I will babygirl" he said.

He kissed her on the cheek and left.

Garcia immediately sat back down at her desk and got busy getting them cleared past security and expedited onto the flight.

She texted the info to Morgan's phone and, screwing protocol, started looking into Diana Reid's disappearance.

REID

Reid went home and set to work packing a bag.

Morgan had called and told him he would pick him up outside his apartment building, that their flight was at 10:45, and that Garcia said they wouldn't have to go through security or check their bags.

He would have to find a way to thank Garcia for that.

His packing was interrupted by his phone ringing. Looking at the display, he didn't recognize the number, so he let it go to voicemail.

Minutes later he finished packing. As he waited for Morgan, he called his voicemail to see if whoever had called him had left a message.

They had.

_Dr. Reid, I want you to listen very carefully…"_

MORGAN

Morgan pulled up to Reid's apartment and called Reid.

"Hey Reid, I'm out front."

"I- I'm on my way."

Not two seconds later, Reid was coming out the front entrance, and he looked pale as a sheet.

He got in the car and threw his bag into the backseat.

"Reid, are you okay?" Morgan asked. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"He called me" Reid said. "He left a message on my phone; he's got her. He's got her."

Morgan grabbed Reid's arm. "Reid. Slow down. Take some deep breaths." "Who called you? What message?" "You're not making much sense, kid."

Reid sucked in a breath. "The man that has my mother called me. He left a message on my phone."

"Let me hear the message" Morgan said.

Reid called his voicemail and put the phone on speaker.

"_Dr. Reid. I want you to listen very carefully. I have your mother. She has not been harmed, yet. You need to listen to the voices, Dr. Reid. See the different strings. Put it all together. Go back to where it all began. I'll call back soon to see if you're on __**track**__"_

"What the hell?" Morgan asked angrily. "Listen to the voices? See the different strings?! This guy is out of his mind!"

"I don't recognize the voice, but I know I've heard something like that before. Voices, strings, put it all together…It sounds so familiar."

"Think about it while we're on the plane. We're here" Morgan said, pulling up to the long-term parking lot. He had to stop at the entrance and swipe his card, but before he could do that, an attendant came out of the booth.

"Agent Morgan? Penelope Garcia from the FBI called ahead and said you would need some assistance. We have an open parking spot near the entrance to the airport. Right over there." The attendant said, pointing to an open space, not 15 feet away.

The attendant had the barrier lifted and waved him through.

Once parked, the guys grabbed their bags and headed into the airport where they were met by yet another attendant.

"Agent Morgan and Dr. Reid, I presume? I'm here to escort you to your flight." The man had an electric cart and transported them right to their gate, bypassing security entirely.

Once at their gate, they were ushered onto the flight ahead of the other passengers.

Once as they were seated, Morgan turned to Reid.

"Garcia really pulled strings on this one. I'd hate to get on her bad side."

Reid chuckled and then got this blank look on his face.

"Reid? Are you alright?"

"Morgan. I think I know who the unsub is!"

**Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! Reviews and PMs are appreciated! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter. Thanks for those who reviewed, I really appreciate you! :-) I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own.**

Chapter 9

"_I think I know who the unsub is!"_

"What?" Morgan asked.

"Why didn't I just answer the phone?! I should have answered the phone!" Reid was muttering, getting more hysterical by the minute.

"Reid. You didn't answer the phone because you were focused on finding your mom as soon as possible. We didn't even know your mom was kidnapped until you got that voice message."

"You can't blame yourself, Reid. Blame takes the focus off of your mom and puts it on you. You can't afford to be distracted."

Reid took a slow breath and calmed down.

"Now, who do you think the unsub is?"

"Morgan, I think it's Dr. Theodore Bryar."

"The guy that held that train hostage with Elle on it? The paranoid schizophrenic that thought he had a computer chip in his arm?" "I thought he was put back in a mental hospital?"

"We need to check to see if he was released. Morgan, it was what the unsub said in the phone call."

"He said listen to the voices, see the strings, and put the pieces together. Morgan, that's string theory, the theory that Dr. Bryar was working on. He was delusional and had been hearing voices since he was a child. Then he said that he would call back to see if I was on _track. _That's a reference to the train_._"

"Morgan, it has to be him."

"Okay, I'll get Garcia on it as soon as we land." Morgan said, hoping that it wasn't Dr. Bryar. The last time they had come in contact with Dr. Bryar, he was holding a train hostage with an FBI agent on it and he had almost killed Reid.

When the plane landed, Morgan and Reid were ushered off the plane first. They immediately headed to the rental dealership in the airport. As they walked, Morgan called Garcia.

"_Derek. Did your flight make it? How's Reid?"_

"Hey babygirl, we just arrived in Vegas. He's hanging in there. Can you do me a favor? Can you try to trace a phone call that was made to Reid's phone? The unsub left a voice message about 10:00 this morning. Reid thinks the man we're looking for is Dr. Theodore Bryar."

"_The psycho that held Elle and all those other people hostage on a train because he thought the government had planted a computer chip in his arm?"_

"Yeah, that guy. He's supposed to be locked up in a mental institution, but could you make sure?"

"_Consider it done. Anything for my baby boy and boy genius."_

"Thanks Garcia."

Morgan hung up the phone.

He and Reid made quick work of renting a car and headed out to Bennington Sanitarium.

There had been a small debate over where to head to first (Reid wanted to go to the scene of the abduction and Morgan had wanted to check in with the local police department first), but in the end Morgan had agreed that they needed to see the scene of the crime first.

When they arrived at Bennington, they were met by Dr. Carrington, Diana Reid's doctor.

"Dr. Reid, I am so sorry about your mother."

"Thank you. Has anyone been in my mother's room since she was taken?"

"No. We sealed it off, as you would say. The police have been through it, but they believe that she tore the room apart and then took off. They told us that it didn't look like a kidnapping and they weren't going to treat it as such until they had evidence."

Reid was shocked.

_They didn't think she was kidnapped? _

The more Reid thought about it, the angrier he became. He knew exactly why they didn't think she was kidnapped. She was schizophrenic, therefore they assumed that she caused the damage to her room and she took off because she was _mentally unstable. _

"I assume you want to see her room?" the Doctor asked, oblivious to the fact that Reid was so furious that he couldn't even talk.

Morgan did see, however, and nodded his assent.

They followed the Doctor upstairs to the room.

Once the Doctor left, Morgan turned to Reid. "Reid, you have to keep it together. I know it's hard, but we have to treat this like one of our cases. It can't get personal or you're going to start missing things."

"You're right." "Let's take a look around."

For the first time, they both focused on the room. It was a mess. The mattress was halfway off the bed frame, the dresser was knocked over and drawers halfway open, and the window pane was cracked and there was…

"Is that blood?"

**There it is :-) Please review! Hope you liked it**


	10. Chapter 10

**OH MY GOSH guys! I am so sorry! I just realized that I hadn't posted this chapter! I don't own criminal minds and all mistakes are my own. Again, so sorry!**

Chapter 10

_Is that blood?_

Reid had spotted what looked like a few drops of blood.

"Did they even test this? How could they not think this is foul play?" he asked angrily.

"I think it's time we pay the Las Vegas police department a little visit", Morgan said, "Garcia called ahead for us and the police chief is expecting us."

"Good" Reid forced out.

They drove to the police station I silence.

When they got there, Morgan stopped Reid before he got out of the car.

"Let me take the lead."

Reid nodded and they went into the building, prepared for a battle.

Once inside, they showed their badges and were escorted to the police chief's office.

The looks on their faces stopped every conversation on the way to his office. The receptionist left them at the Chief's doorway. The chief stood up.

"You boys must be from the FBI, I'm Police Chief Harrelson."

The man held out his hand, but neither Reid, nor Morgan shook his hand.

"You know why we're here, Chief Harrelson?"

"Yes, you-you're investigating the disappearance of Diana Reid from a Bennington Sanitarium. I gotta tell you boys, there's no evidence that she was kid-"

Morgan interrupted him.

"Reid, shut the door" he said quietly, not even bothering to turn around.

Reid did as hey said.

"Did you even have crime scene techs go over the scene?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.

"Did you even have a detective look at the scene?"

"Well, I-"

Morgan didn't let him finish his sentence.

"The mattress was HALFWAY off of the bed frame, the dresser was KNOCKED OVER, and the window pane was cracked."

"Do you think a woman, who has never been violent, EVEN when she was OFF her MEDS, could do all that damage by HERSELF?" Morgan asked, raising his voice, "Did you even INVESTIGATE THIS CASE?" he yelled.

"There was blood on the floor of her room. Did you test it?" Reid asked quietly.

"No, I-"

"No excuses" Morgan said, fuming.

"You are going to hand this case over to the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI" Reid said, stepping forward.

"You are going to invite us in on this case, give us every shred of evidence that you have, which won't be much, and you are going to allow us to use every resource you have."

Leaning over the Chief's desk until he was almost nose to nose with him, Reid added, "…and you are going to stay the HELL out of our way or so help me, I will have your badge, your pension, and I will disgrace you in front of this entire city so that even when you die, you won't be welcome here."

"There's one more thing, Chief." Reid pulled out his phone and played the message that the unsub had left.

"Still think she wasn't kidnapped?"

The Chief turned so pale, it looked like he was going to faint.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked, somewhat shakily.

"First, have your crime scene techs process her room for prints, blood, and anything else they can find. Meanwhile, you are going to call our supervisor and ask him to take this case."

Reid gave the Chief the information as Morgan looked on.

He was so proud of Reid. He had kept his control, and in doing so, had gotten them this case.

Chief Harrelson dialed Hotch's number and Hotch answered on the first ring.

"_Hotchner."_

"Agent Hotchner, this is Police Chief Harrelson calling from Las Vegas."

"_What can I do for you, Chief?"_

"I have a missing person's case that I'd like you to take a look at. The alleged…" seeing the look on Reid's face, the Chief said "…I mean the victim, is Diana Reid."

Hotch didn't hesitate.

"My _team and I will fly out immediately. Are Agents Reid and Morgan there?"_

"Yes sir. They are in my office right now."

"_May I speak to Agent Reid?"_

"Yes of course" the Chief said, and almost dropped the phone in his hurry to give the phone to Reid.

"Hello?" Reid answered.

"_Reid. How does it look out there?"_

Reid knew what he was asking. He was asking if the Chief was being cooperative.

"It was touch-and-go for a minute, but things are looking up now."

"_Good. Reid, you know I'm going to have to tell the team."_

"I know Hotch. It's okay. I just want to get her back safe."

"_We'll fly out in half an hour."_

"Thank you."

"_See you soon."_

After Reid hung up, the Chief immediately got on the phone and got Crime Scene techs out to the Sanitarium to process the scene.

_Meanwhile, on the jet…_

"Okay guys, the reason we are briefing on the phone is because this is a missing person's case and we have no time to lose."

"Who's the missing person?" J.J. asked.

"Reid's mother."

"Wait – is that what that phone call that he got was about?" Prentiss asked, "Why didn't he tell us?"

"Reid's mom has schizophrenia," Hotch said, "She lives at a mental hospital in Las Vegas."

"That's why. We know how private Reid is" J.J. said.

"Last night, Ms. Reid was discovered to be missing. Her room was in severe disarray and the staff at the hospital called the police."

"Let me guess, the police did nothing. Mental patient, so they immediately thought she did it and took off" Prentiss added.

"That's exactly right, Prentiss."

"Morgan and Reid flew down this morning and got the Chief to actually work the case. They'll be waiting for us when we land."

"How's Reid doing with all of this?" J.J. asked.

"From what Morgan says, he's focusing on the case. He's handling it" Hotch said.

"When we land, Prentiss, I want you to go with Morgan to the crime scene.

J.J., we need her photo out to the press, keep the public reminded that she is missing."

"What are you going to do?" Prentiss asked.

"I'll be with Reid. The unsub left Reid a message and Reid thinks that it references an old case of ours."

"Which one?" J.J. asked.

"Dr. Theodore Bryar. The man that help up that train with Elle on it."

"Reid thinks that he is the unsub."

**Alrighty, there it was. What did ya think? Please review! Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay guys, sorry about the wait! I know it's been a loooong time. For those of you that read my other stories- Addiction and Owen, you know that my laptop came off its hinges and was in the "shop" for 2 weeks. On top of that, I've been having somewhat of a difficult time with this story. Well anyways, I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own. And thank you, thank you, thank you to Namira for giving me feedback on this chapter!**

Chapter 11 

_Dr. Theodore Bryar. The man that held up that train with Elle on it."_

"_Reid thinks that he is the unsub."_

J.J. sucked in a breath.

Prentiss stared.

"Reid thinks Dr. Bryar took his mom?"

"Yes" Hotch replied.

"But wasn't he put back into a mental hospital after he recovered from his gunshot wound?"

Just then, they were interrupted by Hotch's phone ringing. It was Garcia.

"Go ahead, Garcia. You're on speaker" Hotch said.

"I'm patching in Morgan and Reid. They need to hear this too" Garcia said without her usual greeting.

"Hey babygirl, what's up?" Morgan asked.

"Morgan is Reid with you?" she asked.

"I'm here, Garcia" Reid spoke up.

"I've got the team on the other line. You all need to hear what I found."

'What did you find?" Reid asked.

"Dr. Ted Bryar is not your unsub."

"I'm sorry, Reid. He died in his sleep at Stokes Mental Health Center in El Paso, Texas six months ago."

"What was the cause of death?" Reid asked, his voice sounding tiny.

"An embolism" was Garcia's response, "It was ruled as death by natural causes."

"But…in the phone call, the unsub was definitely referencing the train!"

"Reid, if it wasn't Bryar, then we know it was probably someone he came into contact with. Knowing that gets us one step closer to whoever took your mom" Hotch replied.

"Reid, we're gonna find out who did this" Morgan added.

"Garcia, check to see who visited Bryar, who he roomed with. I want everything you can find about what he was doing and who he came in contact with in the two years since the train hold-up" Hotch said.

"Your wish, my command. Hang in there, Reid. Genie out."

Garcia hung up the phone.

"Morgan, we'll be landing in 15" Hotch said.

"I'll have a car waiting" Morgan replied and then hung up.

Twenty minutes later, the rest of the team arrived at the Las Vegas Police Department and were met by Reid and Morgan.

"Anything new?" Hotch asked.

"Techs processed the scene. The kidnapper left his blood behind. We're waiting on the results. This guy is unorganized, Hotch." Morgan said, as they walked into the station.

"How so?" Hotch asked.

"Ms. Reid's room was ransacked. The mattress was halfway off the bed, dresser knocked over..." Morgan said.

"My mom is not a violent person, even when she's off her meds. Even if she struggled against her attacker, they still couldn't have caused this much damage" Reid added.

Hotch nodded. "Morgan, take Prentiss to the scene, see if there's anything more we can get for the profile."

Morgan clapped Reid on the shoulder and left with Prentiss.

"Reid, do you have a picture of your mom that we can give to the media?" J.J. asked.

Reid swallowed hard and nodded, grabbing a photo out of an evidence box.

"Here's a recent one."

J.J. took it carefully. "I'll get it out to the media." She immediately pulled out her phone and started calling all the media outlets to get a press conference together.

Hotch turned to Reid. "Reid, I need to hear the message that the unsub left you on your phone."

Reid played the message.

"I think you're right, Reid. I think the unsub is definitely referencing Dr. Bryar and the train incident. From what the unsub is saying, I think that this guy is a fan of Bryar" Hotch said.

"We should see what happened to Bryar's personal effects. Maybe he had fan mail?" Reid suggested.

"Good idea, Reid." Hotch took out his phone to call Garcia and it rang in his hand.

"Hotchner" he answered.

"Mr. Bossman, I found something. When Dr. Bryar returned to Stokes Mental Health Center, he acted out and almost no one could get near him without him becoming violent. However, there was one nurse that he got along with and allowed near him. This nurse was practically his sole caregiver until he died. The man's name is Nathan Green."

"What else can you tell us about Mr. Green?" Hotch asked.

"That's where it gets weird. When Bryar died, Nathan Green pretty much disappeared."

"Something smelled fishy, so I did a little digging and it turns out that Nathan Green used to be Terrence Greenberg. He was a doctor in Utah until he was sued for malpractice about 10 years back. They revoked his medical license. Apparently, he went wacko on a patient's family for not letting their family member live in their delusion and for 'lying' to them."

"Well that would explain why he is after me and my mother. He was around Bryar almost 24/7 and he would've heard what happened on the train. He thinks I lied to Bryar" Reid interjected.

"Oh, my boy genius, it gets better- or worse depending on how you look at it- back in Utah, Green, or Greenberg, or whatever this guy's name is, worked at a mental hospital. As it turns out, he was dumping the patients' meds."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Reid exclaimed, at the exact moment that Hotch asked, "Why wasn't this guy locked up?!"

Morgan and Prentiss came in on the tail end of the conversation.

"So let me get this straight. This guy was a doctor- at a mental hospital- and his medical license was revoked. Then, he changes his name, goes to Texas, and gets hired as a nurse at the facility that Bryar is a patient at. Bryar just happens to die of an embolism, and then this guy comes out to Vegas and kidnaps Reid's mom." Morgan shook his head in disgust.

"That about sums it up" Garcia said quietly, still on the phone.

"How're we going to find this guy?"

**Reviews are appreciated!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay guys. Here is the next chapter. This story has always been a bit difficult, but I have to admit, I had no ideas for this chapter. Credit for the idea for this chapter goes to Namira. Thank you thank you! You have been awesomely supportive! **

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own. Enjoy!**

Chapter 12

Three hours later, the team had no leads.

Reid had given up sitting and was pacing back and forth.

"Reid, we need to stay calm. We can't afford to lose our focus" Morgan said, trying to calm Reid down.

"How can I stay calm when my mother is out there with this psycho and we have no leads on where they are? She must be so scared!"

"Reid-" Hotch began. He was cut off when Reid's cell phone rang.

Reid looked at the caller ID. "I don't recognize the number" he said quietly.

"Morgan, get Garcia on the phone. We need a trace on Reid's phone now!" Hotch said quickly.

Morgan dialed Garcia's number as Reid answered his phone.

"Keep him on the line as long as you can, Reid" Morgan added.

"Hello?" Reid asked tentatively, putting the phone on speaker.

"_Dr. Reid. I assume by now you know who I am."_

"Yes, Terrence. I know who you are."

"_Took you long enough."_

"I would like to speak to my mother" Reid said calmly.

"_No. You don't deserve to get to speak to her. You are the one that put her in that hospital in the first place. She deserved to be able to live in her delusion in peace. Why did you take that right away from her Dr. Reid?" _

"I- I'm sorry. I've always felt horrible about that. I didn't know what else to do. I was afraid I would lose her if I didn't commit her. I wasn't able to take care of her" Reid said shakily.

"_That is abundantly clear." _

Reid sucked in a breath.

Morgan walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, giving him strength to keep talking.

"I know, Terrence. I failed her. I understand that now. I won't take her back to the hospital. She can live her life in peace. Can I please have her back?"

"_All in good time, Dr. Reid. All in good time. You're going to have to do something for me first."_

"What is it? I'll do anything. Just, please, give me my mother back" Reid pleaded, his voice breaking.

"_You are going to follow my directions exactly. As I'm sure you are having your team trace this call, there is no need for me to tell you my location. I assure you, Diana has not been harmed. You will come to my location, unarmed, and without backup. If I see that you have not followed my orders, your mother will die. And then we'll both be unhappy."_

"Alright, I'll do what you ask. Please let me speak to my mother. Please?"

"_Spencer?" _His mother's voice came over the line.

"Mom? Are you alright?" Reid asked frantically.

"_Yes of course, why wouldn't I be, Spencer? Why are you calling me? You know I have to prepare for my lecture."_

Before Reid could say anything, Terrence's voice came back over the line.

"_Do you have my location, Dr. Reid?"_

Reid looked at Morgan, who nodded.

"Yes."

"_Good. You have one hour, Dr. Reid."_

The line went dead.

Tears coursed down Reid's face.

He turned to Morgan. "What's the address?"

"No, Reid. If you go alone he'll kill you" Hotch said.

"If I don't go, my mom is dead! You heard him! He gave me one hour to get there or my mom is dead!"

"Now what is the damn address?!" Reid shouted.

Morgan gave him the address. "It's a warehouse."

"We need to come up with a game plan. There are a lot of places Greenberg can hide in a warehouse" Prentiss said.

"We need S.W.A.T. on this" Hotch added.

"I need some air" Reid said, walking toward the door.

"Reid," Morgan said, "Don't go far, okay? Like you said, we've got less than an hour."

Reid nodded.

As soon as he was out of the building, he looked around.

No one had followed him out. _Good._

He walked a little further down the street until he saw a cab parked at a curb.

As he walked up, the driver rolled down his passenger side window.

"Hello, Dr. Reid."

Reid stopped. He looked at the man's face and recognized Terrence Greenberg immediately.

"I knew you would find a moment to get away. I had faith in you" he said, grinning evilly.

"So the warehouse is just a ruse?" Reid asked, hoping it wasn't true. Hoping his team would be able to find him and his mother after he went with this man.

"No, your mother is there. And we are going there. Once your team realizes you have gone there, they will think twice about entering the building; especially when I tell them about the explosives."

Reid's heart sunk.

"Now, get in the car, Dr. Reid. Your team will soon notice where you've gone."

Reid got in the back of the cab, praying his team would act quickly.

"Oh, and, Dr. Reid, if you happen to have your weapon on you, you might want to toss it out. I have a remote detonator and can blow up the warehouse without even being near the building."

Reid opened the cab door and laid his weapon and his badge on the sidewalk, knowing his team would find them when they came searching.

Thankfully, Greenberg didn't notice. He was too busy fiddling with the radio.

He settled on a classical music station just as Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 came on.

The opening chords played as they drove off.

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Helooooo! Here's the next chapter!**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my sister's fault…just kidding. All mistakes are mine all mine.**

**Enjoy! **

Chapter 13

Reid rode in the back of that taxi for what seemed like forever.

In reality, the ride had lasted 14 minutes and 39 seconds.

Reid had ridden in silence, while Terrence had hummed along with the radio.

As they pulled up in front of the warehouse, Reid hoped that the team had found his gun and badge by now and figured out where he had gone.

Greenberg parked the cab and escorted Reid into the warehouse, his thumb hovering over the detonator, as if taunting him.

It was also a warning. Greenberg didn't need a gun; the threat of having his mother blown to pieces was enough.

The warehouse was dim; it took Reid a moment for his eyes to adjust away from the bright sunlight.

When his eyes did adjust, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

_What the hell?_

BACK AT THE STATION…

J.J. looked at her watch.

"Where's Reid? Shouldn't he be back by now?"

Morgan looked up. "He's been gone for too long."

He got up and jogged out of the building, the rest of the team not far behind.

Morgan looked left and right.

"There!" Hotch pointed to the left. "There's something on the sidewalk over there."

As they got closer, Morgan recognized the objects.

"Are those…" J.J. began.

"His gun and badge" Morgan finished for her.

He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Garcia.

She answered immediately.

"Goddess of all knowledge. Speak and be heard."

"Babygirl, I need you to track Reid's phone."

"Has he…"

"Yeah Garcia, he went to find Greenberg. I need you to make sure he's at that warehouse where we traced the phone call."

"While you're at it, can you get any camera footage from the street in front of the precinct? We need to know how Reid left."

"Can I? Please. Give me one minute and you'll have both" Garcia hung up.

Morgan's phone rang a minute later, but it wasn't Garcia calling.

Wary, he put his phone on speaker.

"Hello Agent Morgan" Terrence Greenberg said.

"How did you get this number?" Morgan asked, wanting to punch something.

"It doesn't matter Agent Morgan. What matters is that I now have your precious Agent Reid."

Morgan cursed.

"Now, now, Agent Morgan, better watch that mouth of yours. There were two reasons for this phone call; the first was to tell you that I had your agent, and the second was to let you know that the warehouse is presently wired with explosives."

"So think twice before you come in."

Then there was silence on the line. Greenberg had hung up.

"Dammit" Morgan muttered, hanging his head.

"Not a second later, Garcia called back.

"Semi-good news and bad news. Semi-good news is that Reid is at the location we pinpointed earlier."

"Bad news is that Reid didn't go there by himself. A security camera at the coffee shop across the street caught Reid walking down the sidewalk. He passes a cab parked at the curb and then stops and goes back. The driver rolls down the window, they talk for a minute and then Reid gets in."

"Once he's in the cab, he waits a few moments, then opens the car door and sets his gun and badge on the sidewalk."

"How much do you want to bet that Greenberg was driving that cab?" Morgan asked.

"I'll bet you a million, sweetheart," Garcia said, still on the phone, "Another security cam down the street caught a clear view of his face as they drove away. It's definitely him."

"So what's the game plan, Hotch?" Morgan asked, glancing over at his boss.

AT THE WAREHOUSE…

Reid almost couldn't believe his eyes.

Right in the center of the warehouse, there was an office; including a couch, a chair, and a desk. It actually looked a lot like his mother's old office back when she taught 15th Century Literature…

It all clicked and Reid's jaw dropped.

_Oh my god. _It was an exact replica of his mom's old office.

Once Reid got over the initial shock, he noticed something else.

There were explosives surrounding the entire setup.

"Where's my mother?" Reid asked, turning to Greenberg.

Greenberg pointed to the couch. Reid walked over and saw his mom, writing in one of her many notebooks.

Reid breathed a sigh of relief – she looked unharmed.

As if reading Reid's mind, Greenberg spoke. "Of course she hasn't been harmed. I'm not angry with her. I'm angry with you."

Greenberg maneuvered himself behind Reid, who was still looking at his mother, making sure she wasn't harmed.

Reid was opening his mouth to talk to her when he felt a slight prick on the back of his neck.

"What?" was all he was able to get out of his mouth before his world tilted sideways.

He tried to grab the couch, but he missed and fell to the floor.

"What's going on?" Reid asked.

"The tables have turned,_ Agent_Reid. It's time for you to experience how the other half lives."

Greenberg standing over him was the last thing Reid saw before everything went black.

OUTSIDE THE WAREHOUSE….

The team pulled up in front of the warehouse and immediately spotted the cab that Greenberg had used to grab Reid.

They silently exited the SUV and approached the cab, guns drawn.

Unfortunately, the cab was empty, but there didn't seem to be any blood in it.

Everyone hoped that meant Reid was still alive.

"Okay, so what now?" Prentiss asked, "We can't just go in, guns blazing."

"We have to wait for the bomb squad. Hopefully they can use their equipment to pick up what kind of explosives we're dealing with" Hotch said.

"We need to find another entrance. If there's a back door, we can get the bomb squad to check for and dismantle any explosives on the door and then  
do a quiet entry and search the building" Morgan said.

"You think they'll agree to that?" Hotch asked.

"I've worked with these guys before, Hotch. This is how they operate" Morgan replied.

Hotch nodded. "Then that's our plan."

BACK INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE…

Reid was beginning to regain consciousness.

He blinked slowly, trying clear his hazy vision. He tried to stand up, but found that he couldn't.

When his vision had cleared, he realized he was on the couch.

"Ah, _Agent_Reid, it's about time you woke up. It's been 20 minutes. It's not nice to keep people waiting" Greenberg said from where he sat in the armchair nearby.

"What…," Reid cleared his throat, "What did you give me?" he asked slowly.

He knew there was another, more important, question he was supposed to ask, but he couldn't form the thought.

"Oh, I just gave you a little injection of Haloperidol" Greenberg said, grinning evilly.

Reid stared blankly. "Why?"

"I told you _Agent_Reid, the tables have turned."

"Now, it's time for our session, _Agent _Reid."

**UH OH! What has Dr. Evil got in store for Reid? And Reid was drugged! Can the team get to him in time? **

**Disclaimer: If I got anything wrong about the drug Haloperidol (Haldol), I'm sorry, not a doctor, just a writer.**

**tannerose5 was kind enough to point out that I hadn't explained what Haloperidol was. I hope they don't mind, but I borrowed their description of it.**

**"Haloperidol is an antipsychotic medication. It works by changing the actions  
of chemicals in your brain. Haloperidol is used to treat schizophrenia. It is  
also used to control motor and speech tics in people with Tourette's  
syndrome."- tannerose 5**

**Also, in normal people that don't have schizophrenia, it causes sleepiness, dizziness, lack of ability to perform tasks, etc.**

**Reviews and PMs are appreciated!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Alrighty, here is the next chapter. I'm sorry (once again) it's taken awhile for me to update. **

**All mistakes are mine and I don't own Criminal Minds. Enjoy!**

Chapter 14

"_Now, it's time for our session, Agent Reid."_

Reid swallowed. His mouth was _very _dry.

"Where's my mother" he forced out.

"Never mind her. She's over at her desk, preparing for a lecture" he pointed.

She was seated at the desk, bent over in concentration.

"Agent Reid, you came to me for therapy because you harbor guilt for placing your mother in a mental institution where they placed her on mind-numbing drugs, isn't that right?" Greenberg asked, catching Reid's attention again.

_What?_ – Reid thought. _He's delusional!_

"Answer me, Agent Reid!" Greenberg exclaimed angrily.

Reid tried to form words, but he couldn't get the words out.

He just didn't have the energy.

Greenberg jumped up. "Cooperate, Agent Reid, or you will suffer the consequences!"

Reid just sat there, unable to do anything.

Enraged, Greenberg started punching Reid. With each punch he would scream, "Answer me!"

When Reid didn't respond, Greenberg only got angrier.

Finally spent, Greenberg dropped into the armchair. "You are worthless. I should just kill you now."

OUTSIDE THE WAREHOUSE…..

The bomb squad had arrived and determined there were no explosives on the back door of the warehouse.

The S.W.A.T. team made quick work of the lock on the door and the F.B.I. agents followed them into the warehouse.

"Keep your eyes open for any sign of explosives," Hotch said, "and I want to know the minute any of you have eyes on Reid or Greenberg."

The group nodded and split up into teams of four, two F.B.I. agents to two S.W.A.T. members.

Morgan and Prentiss went off to search the first level, while Hotch and J.J. headed up to search the second level.

Morgan and Prentiss were not far into their search when Morgan heard something.

"Prentiss, stop. Did you hear that?" he asked.

They both went silent and listened, and then they heard it.

It was the unmistakable sound of someone being beaten.

Morgan touched his radio. "Hotch we may have found the unsub and Reid; standby for confirmation."

They approached the source of the noise and found that they were correct.

Reid was slumped over on a couch and the unsub was punching him over and over again.

Morgan went to run over there, but Prentiss stopped him. "Morgan, look!"

She pointed and he saw what she was talking about.

There were explosives everywhere. _But…wait. _

Morgan looked closer. "Prentiss, there are stacks of C-4 all over the place, but look," he pointed, "there are no detonators."

Prentiss looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that he was right.

They both breathed a little sigh of relief, but it was short-lived, because what they heard next was anything but a relief.

"_I should just kill you now."_

Morgan quickly got on his radio. "Hotch, we've got eyes on Reid and the unsub. They're in an area surrounded by C-4, but there are no detonators."

"Hotch, we gotta move. We just heard Greenberg say that he was gonna kill Reid."

Hotch responded. "Where are you?"

"First level near the front of the warehouse" Morgan replied.

BACK TO REID AND THE UNSUB….

Reid knew on some level that he should be trying to escape, but he couldn't get his limbs to work.

In a last ditch effort, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Greenberg looked at him. "It's too late for that, Agent Reid."

He pulled out the remote detonator and pushed the button.

…And nothing happened.

But Greenberg acted like it did.

He turned away from Reid as if he was no longer there and spoke to Diana.

"Come along Diana, we'll leave what's left of your son's body for his team to find."

Before he reached Diana, the B.A.U and S.W.A.T. teams had him surrounded.

"Get down on the floor! Hands on your head!"

Morgan personally cuffed Greenberg and handed him off to the S.W.A.T team.

"Read him his rights and get him the hell out of here" Morgan said furiously.

One of the officers kept an eye on Diana while Morgan and the others went to check on Reid.

Morgan got to him first. "Reid, are you alright?" he asked, touching Reid's shoulder.

Reid slowly looked up at him and tried to speak.

"D-drug" was all he was able to force out.

Hotch called for the EMTs.

"Reid, what drug did he give you?" Morgan asked.

"Hhhhhaaldol" Reid slurred.

"Haldol?" Morgan asked.

Reid nodded.

"Hang in there, Reid," Hotch said, "EMTs are on their way."

Reid tried to say something else. "Mom?" he asked.

J.J. spoke up. "Your mom looks to be just fine, Reid. She's right over there by that desk."

Reid nodded, clearly relieved.

The EMTs arrived then, and Hotch told them what drug Reid was given.

Reid was lifted onto a stretcher. He looked panicked and Morgan interpreted his expression easily.

"Don't worry, Reid. One of the team will make sure your mom gets checked out and taken back to the Sanitarium."

J.J. volunteered. "I'll stay with her."

Morgan turned to Hotch. "I'm going to ride with Reid to the hospital."

**I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews and PMs make me feel all warm and happy inside **


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi! Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy!**

**All mistakes are my own and I don't own Criminal Minds. **

Chapter 15

"_I'll ride with him to the hospital."_

Morgan climbed into the ambulance next to Reid and Hotch close the doors.

As the ambulance drove off, Hotch turned to J.J.

"How is his mother?" he asked.

"She is currently refusing to let the paramedics look at her and is demanding we let her get back to preparing for her lecture" J.J. responded.

"So she's doing okay?" he asked with a semblance of a grin.

J.J. nodded. "I'd say so."

"We need to get her back to Bennington. Can you call the staff and-"

"Already done. I called her main doctor there and let him know what to expect and her room has been cleaned up and is in the exact same condition it was before the kidnapping. The staff is already prepared and will be waiting with her medications ready."

"Good."

"Are they willing to send staff for her?" Hotch asked.

"No, the one vehicle they have is a few hours away picking up a patient" J.J. responded.

"Hotch?" J.J. asked tentatively, "I was thinking maybe it would be best if _we_ drove Ms. Reid back to Bennington ourselves."

Before Hotch could speak, she hurried on. "I mean, if we send her back in a police cruiser it might make her even more combative. If we drove her, we could keep her calm by playing along with her delusion."

Hotch considered it and then nodded his assent.

In the ambulance…

Reid sat on the gurney, trying his best to keep his eyes open.

"How ya doin', Reid?" Morgan asked, trying to keep Reid awake and distracted.

They were both afraid of what would happen if Reid closed his eyes.

"H-hurts," Reid forced out, "b-bro-"

Giving up, Reid pointed to his left side.

"Your side?" Morgan asked.

Reid shook his head slowly.

Morgan tried again. "Your ribs?"

Reid nodded.

"Okay, Reid. Don't worry, we're gonna get you to the hospital and they'll get you fixed up."

Pausing, Morgan changed topics.

"You know that was a really stupid thing to do right?" he asked.

When Reid looked confused, Morgan clarified for him.

"Going off on your own. We were really worried about you."

Morgan paused, his voice breaking.

"If that C-4 had been armed, we could've…" he covered his mouth with his hand, trying to bite back tears.

Reid mustered up the energy and grabbed Morgan's free hand.

"Sorry," he whispered, "won't…"

Reid didn't finish his sentence because he was too busy gasping for breath.

"Reid?" Morgan asked, concerned.

"REID!"

The ambulance sped to the hospital and Reid was rushed in by two paramedics.

Morgan raced after them, trying to keep up.

Reid was taken into an exam room and when Morgan tried to follow, he was stopped and told to wait in the waiting room.

Morgan stood there.

_I can't lose him._

Sighing and running a hand over his shaved head, he pulled out his phone and called Hotch.

Back at the warehouse…

J.J. coaxed Diana into the SUV with the promise that she was being taken to her office.

They weren't needed at the scene, so Prentiss went along as well.

Twenty minutes later, they had taken Ms. Reid back to Bennington, where her head doctor had been waiting for her arrival.

He had personally led Diana back to her room, given her the medicine that she needed, and allowed her to "finish preparing her lecture."

Before the team left, he came down and told them that new security measures had been taken and Dr. Reid could rest assured that his mother was safe.

The team had left knowing she would be safe, and headed back to the police station.

They were halfway there when Hotch got a phone call.

"Hotchner" he answered.

"_Hotch, it's Morgan."_

"Morgan, how is Reid?" Hotch asked.

"_It's not good Hotch. He- he stopped breathing in the ambulance. They haven't come out to tell me anything yet," Morgan choked out._

"We're on our way" Hotch said.

Morgan told him what hospital and then hung up.

Hotch turned on the sirens.

"Is Reid alright?" Prentiss asked.

"No" he answered, speeding up.

J.J. and Prentiss locked eyes. They were thinking the same thing.

_If Hotch had turned on the sirens and was speeding, it couldn't be good._

They arrived at the hospital in five minutes thanks to shortcuts given by Garcia- who, by the way, was almost in hysterics when she heard about Reid.

It was all J.J. could do to keep her from jumping on a plane then and there.

Garcia had compromised by making J.J. promise to call her with updates every hour.

Hotch parked and they hurried into the emergency room.

Hotch flashed his badge at the front desk.

"One of my agents was brought in here, Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Hotch."

Morgan's voice came from behind him.

The three agents rushed over to Morgan.

"How is he?" Prentiss demanded.

"They took him up to surgery, that's all I know" Morgan responded.

"Damn doctors won't tell me anything."

"I'll fix that" Hotch stated firmly.

Turning around, he walked up to the nurses' desk.

"Excuse me" he said, catching the attention of one of the nurses.

"I need to know the status on Dr. Spencer Reid."

"I'm sorry we can only give out patient information to family."

"I have power of attorney," Hotch stated, "and we are his family."

He swept out his arm to include Morgan, J.J. and Prentiss.

"Very well" the nurse responded, looking up Reid's information on the computer.

"Dr. Reid has a mild concussion and two broken ribs. He was also drugged with a dose of Haloperidol. However, the real concern, and the reason he is in surgery, is that one of the ribs punctured a lung. They had to take him into surgery to re-inflate his lung and to see if there was any other damage."

Hotch thanked the nurse and the team returned to the waiting room after the nurse promised to let them know of any changes to Reid's condition.

J.J. immediately called Garcia.

"Hey Garcia, I have an update on Reid" she began.

While J.J. updated Garcia – and comforted her, the rest of the team sat down.

Morgan scrubbed his face with his hands.

"You alright Morgan?" Prentiss asked.

"I swear this kid is a magnet for trouble" is all he said.

For the next two hours, the team sat, stood, and paced, waiting for news on Reid.

At one point, Morgan slid down the wall and put his head in his hands.

"Hotch, what if…" he began.

"No, Morgan. We're not going to go there. Not until we hear from the doctor" Hotch said firmly.

As if he heard Hotch's words, a doctor came around the corner into the waiting room.

He looked at the name on the chart in his hand.

"Family of Dr. Spencer Reid?" he asked.

The team stood up and waited to hear Reid's fate.

**I hope you liked it! Until next time!**


	16. Chapter 16

What Follows After ch.16

**I AM SO SORRY for not updating in sooo long! I just got so busy and I'm just so sorry! I promise I'll try to get the next chapter done quickly!**

**I don't own CM and all mistakes are mine.**

**Enjoy, and SORRY again for not updating!**

"_Family of Dr. Spencer Reid?"_

If the doctor was shocked at the number of people waiting to hear about his patient, he didn't show it.

Instead, he got right down to business.

"It was touch and go there for a while, but Dr. Reid is going to be just fine" The doctor began.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"However," the doctor continued, "he will need to stay in the hospital for at least a week to recuperate and then he will need to take it easy for a couple of weeks after that. No chasing after bad guys for at least that amount of time."

"Understood" Hotch answered.

The doctor nodded and turned to leave, but Morgan stopped him.

"When can we see him?" he asked.

"He's in recovery right now. I'll have a nurse come and get you when he gets moved to a room."

They all thanked the doctor and he left, grateful that he hadn't had to give bad news to such a large group that obviously cared very much about his patient.

As the doctor left, the team turned to one another, grinning.

They all sat down, more relaxed than they had been all day…until they heard a certain tech analyst's voice coming from the nurse's station down the hall.

"I'm looking for Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Are you family?"

"No, but…"

"Then ma'am, I'm afraid I can't give you any information."

All the team heard after that was the wordless scream of frustration that came out of Garcia's mouth.

Hotch cast Morgan a frantic look and Morgan hustled out to the nurse's station to stop Garcia _before _she got herself arrested.

"Babygirl" he called out, approaching her.

Garcia spun around quickly. "Morgan! Oh thank _God_! These…these…_people_ won't tell me how Reid is!"

The nurse she was speaking to went to open her mouth, but Morgan held up a hand and silenced her.

"It's alright, I've got her, thank you" he said apologetically.

He put an arm around Garcia's shoulders and guided her toward the waiting room.

"Morgan," Garcia began, "how is my boy genius?" she asked nervously, her lip trembling.

Morgan turned and faced her.

"Reid is going to be just fine. The doctor said that he will have to stay in the hospital for a week, and then take a couple weeks off from field work and he'll be as good as new."

Garcia let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Well of course he's going to be okay" she said, hitting Morgan playfully, "Reid hasn't taken a sick day in his life!"

"Oh, but he will now," Garcia continued, "and he is going to be pampered within an inch of his life!"

Morgan chuckled. "By the way, Garcia, how did you get here so fast?" he asked.

Garcia blushed slightly. "Honey, I work for the FBI and I am _very _good at my job."

Morgan just laughed. It was probably better if he didn't know. _Plausible deniability_.

They reached the waiting room and everyone hugged Garcia, even Hotch.

The team paced, sat, and dozed for the next two hours in the waiting room; each silently refusing to leave until they could see that Reid was okay with their own eyes.

Finally, _finally, _a nurse came out and told them that Reid had been moved to a room.

"If you'll follow me, I'll take you to him."

They all followed her as she walked down the hall, turned right, and then stopped behind her at room 156.

The nurse turned to them before she left.

"He is sedated right now. He is breathing on his own, but he needs his rest. So _don't _wake him up" she said, pointing her finger at each of them.

Everyone nodded their agreement and she left.

"Whoa. Scary" Prentiss muttered.

"You got that right" Morgan added.

The team walked into the room and took in a collective breath.  
Reid looked so pale and fragile.

Morgan went immediately and sat down in the chair next to his bed. The girls took the couch and Hotch took the other available chair.

And they waited. And waited. And waited.

As their hunger made itself know, the girls went and got dinner and returned. Hotch went to get dinner as well, and tried to convince Morgan to leave and eat dinner, but Morgan wouldn't budge.

"I'll bring you something back" Hotch said, briefly clapping his hand on Morgan's shoulder as he left.

True to his word, Hotch returned with a burger and French fries, Morgan's favorite, but Morgan could barely force down half of it.

He was too full of guilt.

Reid was hurt and it was _his fault_.

The sky eventually grew dark and a nurse came in to tell them that visiting hours were over.

When all five of them flashed FBI badges, the nurse compromised.

"Alright, but only one of you" she said.

There was no question that the person would be Morgan.

Everyone wished him good night, briefly clasped Reid's hand, or kissed his forehead, as was the case with J.J. and Garcia, and went to grab a room at a hotel for the night.

"Well it's just you and me, Pretty Boy" Morgan murmured, and as exhaustion overtook him, he went over to the couch and lay down, keeping an eye on his best friend until sleep came.

**I hope you liked it! Please review or PM me what u thought! **


	17. Chapter 17

**OH MY GOSH GUYS! I AM SO SORRY it's been so long! Work has just been crazy! The school I work at has been doing state testing and I have just been so exhausted and busy that I haven't had the time to update any of my stories! Please don't hate me!**

**I don't own CM and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy!**

What Follows After ch.17

Reid heard a loud beeping and thought- _The bomb. Greenberg had a bomb and it's going to go off any second._

The beeping sped up until Reid's eyes popped open.

He glanced around the dark room in confusion. Had Greenberg taken him somewhere else?

Looking down he noticed that he was in what looked like a hospital bed. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he realized he _was _in the hospital.

The realization did not stop him from feeling uneasy. His eyes kept sweeping the room or signs of danger until he spotted the form of a person asleep on the couch. As he focused in on the person, he realized it was Morgan.

Reid breathed a sigh of relief and the beeping that was the heart monitor slowed to a steady rate.

Gradually, Reid's eyelids grew heavy and he fell into a peaceful slumber.

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The next morning Morgan was awakened by the dimmed room lights.

Opening his eyes, he noticed the day shift nurse standing by the light switch.

"I decided to be nice this morning and not blind you with the bright lights" she said, smiling.

He thanked her and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"You were sleeping like the dead when I walked in here. I almost came over to check your pulse, that's how still you were. When's the last time you had sleep?" she asked.

"Probably the last time I had any" Reid murmured, slowly opening his eyes.

Morgan heard Reid's reply and immediately went over to his bed.

"Reid. Thank God" he said gripping Reid's shoulder.

"Well, look who's awake" the nurse said, walking over.

"Can you help me sit up a little?" Reid asked sleepily.

She walked over and slowly raised the bed to a sitting position.

Reid groaned a little bit.

"Are you in any pain?" she asked.

"A little" Reid replied, "Is there any way I could get an extra pillow?"

She placed the extra pillow behind Reid's head. "Better?"

Reid nodded and thanked her.

"It's my job" she replied with a smile. I'll be back in to give you some more pain meds and the doctor and your breakfast should be here shortly."

"I don't think I'll be able to eat much" Reid said, frowning.

"That's alright. You just eat what you can" she said as she left the room.

As soon as she left, Morgan got up from the chair and sat on the edge of Reid's bed.

"Man, am I glad you're awake, kid. You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry" Reid apologized. "How did I end up in the hospital?" he asked.

"You don't remember?" Morgan asked.

"The last thing I remember is Greenberg dosing me with Haldol and hitting me."

A look of horror came over Reid's face. He tried to sit up and failed.

"Morgan, my mom!" he exclaimed. Morgan put his hand on Reid's shoulder and gently pushed him back down.

"She's okay, Reid. I promise. She wasn't injured at all, and she is safe and sound back at Bennington."

"…and Greenberg?" Reid asked.

"He's in custody." Reid sagged with relief.

"That bomb he had in the warehouse didn't have a detonator. It was all in his head, Reid. He thought he had blown you to pieces when we got to him."

Reid shook his head in disbelief.

"By the way" Morgan began, "you ever think about doing what you did yesterday, going off to meet Greenberg like that, and I will hurt you."

Reid nodded. "Don't worry. I don't plan on doing it again."

"I'm serious, Reid. When you passed out in the ambulance…I thought-" Morgan cleared his throat, "I thought I lost you."

With that said he cleared his throat again and swiped what looked like a tear from his face.

He sat back down in the chair and pretended like he hadn't said anything.

Reid took that to mean that he needed to change the subject. He took a deep breath and winced. "So what's my prognosis?" he asked.

Walking into the room, the doctor answered his question. "You have a mild concussion, two broken ribs, and you had to have emergency surgery yesterday for a collapsed lung."

Reid gestured for him to go on as the doctor walked up to his bed. "You'll be with us for about a week and then you'll be free to go home, as long as you stay out of the field for two weeks." The doctor said sternly, pointing his finger at Reid.

Reid agreed and winced again in pain.

"I heard you were in some pain" the Doctor said, "Nurse Mia here is going to give you some more pain meds" he said, gesturing to the woman that had come in with him.

Reid thanked him and the Doctor made his leave. Nurse Mia came over and hung a morphine drip, attaching it to his IV.

"Now, we put you on a low dose of Morphine. It'll keep the pain at bay, but it shouldn't make you as drowsy" she said.

"It should take effect fairly quickly" she said with a smile.

Reid nodded and thanked her again.

"You know, I don't think I've ever had a patient as polite as you" she said, grinning, as she left.

Morgan raised his eyebrows at Reid. "I think she's got the hots for you, Reid."

Reid shook his head and laughed at Morgan, jarring his broken ribs. "Ow!" he exclaimed. "Don't make me laugh."

"Sorry" Morgan said, laughing. Reid shot him a dirty look as a nurse brought him his breakfast meal on a tray.

"Here you go, sir. Enjoy" she said, a little too cheerfully as she walked out of the room.

Reid to the cover off the food and his expression immediately turned to one of disgust.

"What is that?" he asked.

Morgan looked at it. "Hmm, looks like…eggs and sausage?" he said hesitantly.

"I'm not eating that" Reid said adamantly.

"Here" Morgan said, handing him a container, "there's jello. At least you know that's edible."

Reid picked up a spoon, opened the container, and started eating the jello.

He grimaced the entire way through it, but he ate it all, washing it down afterwards with what looked like orange juice.

When Reid was done, he looked over at Morgan. "That was _the grossest _thing I have ever eaten."

Morgan chuckled. "Are you still hungry?" he asked.

"No, I never really eat much in the morning anyways. Wish I had some coffee though" Reid said wistfully.

Morgan shook his head. "I don't think they're gonna allow that, Pretty Boy."

Reid pouted…actually _pouted _like a little kid. Then his expression turned hopeful.

"You could smuggle some in" he pleaded.

"Less than a day in the hospital and he's already trying to break the rules" Prentiss said, walking into the room with the rest of the team filing in behind her.

The rest of the team laughed. "Hey, you know you would all be in the same boat as I am" Reid said, trying to defend himself.

That just made the team laugh even more.

"Glad to see you're doing alright, Reid" Hotch spoke up.

Garcia came over and sat on the edge of Reid's bed. "You scared me Reid; don't ever do that again" she said, her voice trembling. "This family can't lose you."

"I'm okay, Garcia" Reid said softly, grabbing her hand, "I promise you. I would never leave this team voluntarily. You're my family, too."

Hearing those words helped Garcia and she leaned forward and gave Reid a gentle hug.

"You really scared us, Reid" J.J. said, coming forward and giving him a hug.

"I lost ten years off my life when we found out you had gone off by yourself to go after that monster" Prentiss said, pointing at him.

"Actually you can't literally have time taken off your life by…" Reid began, but Morgan cut him off, putting his hand over his mouth.

Reid lifted his hands in surrender and Morgan removed his hand.

"See, Garcia" Morgan said, "he's gonna be just fine."


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! So, sadly, this will be my last chapter for this story. It's been a great ride, but it's time has come to an end. Thank you to those who have followed, favorited, and reviewed this story. It was greatly appreciated :-) A special thank you to Namira, for without you this story would probably not exist. **

**I do not own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are mine! Enjoy!**

Chapter 18

_One Week Later…_

"Morgan, please tell me you're here to take me home and that Garcia is _not _with you" Reid said as soon Morgan walked into his hospital room.

Morgan laughed. "Is she hovering?" he asked.

Reid scoffed and quickly looked around to make sure she wasn't lurking somewhere.

Crooking his finger at Morgan to move closer, he whispered, "she won't leave me alone and she doesn't let me do anything for myself. I had to _beg, _literally _beg _her to let me go to the bathroom by myself."

Morgan laughed, but Reid cut him off. "You think I'm being funny, but I'm not" he said, finishing quickly, as he had spotted Garcia in the doorway.

"Alright sweetie, are you ready to hit the road?" she asked, practically cooing.

Reid cast Morgan a look that clearly said _Help me!_

Morgan stifled a laugh. "What I was coming in here to tell you is that they're releasing you."

"I talked to the doctor and he said that it's safe for you to fly home to Virginia."

Reid sighed in relief. "Good. I'm ready to get out of here."

"Well I've got your wheelchair ready to go right here, my favorite boy genius" Garcia said, bringing the wheelchair over to the bed.

"You all ready to go, Reid?" Morgan asked.

Reid shook his head. "I don't have clothes to change in to" he said, frowning.

"That, my friend, is why I am here. I brought your go-bag" Morgan said, holding up the duffel.

"Thank you" Reid said fervently.

"Want me to help you get dressed?" Garcia asked.

"NO! I- I mean no thank you, Garcia" Reid stammered.

Garcia chuckled. "I'm just kidding, Reid. I'll step out so you can get changed."

Her neon green heels clicked across the tile floor as she walked out of the room.

When she was gone, Morgan laughed turning to Reid. "You need any help?" he asked.

Reid shook his head. "I think I got it."

"Tell you what" Morgan began, "I'll stay here in the room and you can get dressed in the bathroom. If you need any help, you can just holler for me."

Reid nodded and, grabbing his bag, slowly made his way toward the bathroom, one hand held protectively over his ribs.

Ten minutes later, Reid emerged from the bathroom, dressed, except for the converse shoes he held in his hand.

He sat down on the bed, and looking slightly embarrassed, asked Morgan to help with his shoes.

"I can't quite bend down yet without losing my breath and hurting my ribs" Reid added.

Morgan nodded and wisely said nothing as he put Reid's shoes on and tied them.

When Reid whispered his thanks, Morgan responded with a simple "you're welcome", and left it at that, knowing Reid wouldn't want him to make a big deal out of it.

Once Reid was fully dressed, Morgan let him get off the bed by himself and settle in to the wheelchair with his duffel bag on his lap.

"You all settled?" Morgan asked. When Reid nodded, he turned the wheelchair toward the door and headed out into the hallway.

They headed toward the front desk and met Garcia, whose was filling out Reid's check out forms.

"All set?" she asked as she signed the last document.

"All set" Reid replied as Morgan nodded his assent.

"Alright my lovelies, let's get this show on the road" she said, heading toward the hospital entrance.

"You took a cab to get here, right Baby Girl?" Morgan asked.

"Yeppers, my dark chocolate, I did, but you didn't. I was going to stay with Reid while you retrieved your chariot from the parking garage" she replied, grinning.

Morgan shook his head. "Chariot?" he asked.

Garcia laughed, and even Reid cracked a grin.

Holding up his hands in surrender, Morgan handed Reid over to Garcia's capable hands and started walking to his car.

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While Morgan was "retrieving his chariot", as Garcia put it, Reid looked over at Garcia.

"Are we heading straight to the airstrip from here, Garcia?" he asked.

Garcia shook her head. "We have one stop to make and then we will leave."

"Did the team already head home?" he questioned.

Thankfully, Morgan saved Garcia from answering that question.

He pulled up in the standard SUV and got out, coming over to where they were waiting just outside the hospital entrance.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Reid nodded, and handing the duffel bag to Morgan, stood up slowly out of the wheelchair and made his way to the car.

Morgan walked beside him, opening the front passenger door and standing next to it, inconspicuously, just in case Reid needed his help getting into the car.

It was a good thing, because as soon as Reid got to the SUV, he remembered that there was a step to get up into the car, and he was going to need help.

Looking at Morgan, Reid asked the silent question, and Morgan held out his hand in answer.

Reid grabbed a hold of the hand and gingerly stepped up into the car, breathing a sigh of relief when he sat down.

"You good?" Morgan asked.

Reid nodded and cast Morgan a grateful glance as he buckled his seatbelt and Morgan shut the door.

Garcia had watched the entire scene unfold and her eyes glittered with unshed tears.

Those boys had a special friendship and it was always a privilege to witness it (and it made her big heart _squeal _with joy every time).

Morgan opened her door for her and she climbed in without a word.

She knew that if she opened her mouth, she just might spill the secret that Morgan had asked her to keep as to where they were really going when they picked Reid up from the hospital.

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Reid looked out the window, uncharacteristically silent, as they made their way to the airstrip.

Morgan noticed his silence and asked him about it.

"What's going on in that big brain of yours?" he asked.

Reid shook his head. "Nothing, I'm fine." _I miss my mom_- he added silently.

"C'mon, Reid, I can practically hear you thinking over here" Morgan added.

Reid swiped an errant tear before turning to look at Morgan. "I just wish I could see my mom before we leave; just to see that she's okay with my own two eyes."

"It's funny that you say that, Reid" Morgan said, as he pulled into a parking lot and parked the car, "because that is exactly where we are."

Confused, Reid looked up and saw what Morgan meant. They weren't at the airstrip, they were at Bennington Sanitarium.

Reid covered his mouth with his hand, trying to keep the tears from falling.

"You…How..." Reid began. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Th-thank you."

Clapping Reid on the shoulder, Morgan walked around the car and opened the door for him, helping him step down.

Garcia got out of the car behind them and walked up, putting a hand around Reid's waist.

"We talked to your mom's doctor this morning. Your mom is doing just fine" she began.

"The doc said she is back on her medication and she is having a good day today. He also said that she's been worried about you" Morgan finished.

They walked into the building and could immediately see the new security measures.

All visitors were required to sign in and show a driver's license, and there were now security cameras everywhere in plain sight.

Once they were all checked in, Spencer, Garcia and Morgan were escorted up to the second floor where Reid's mother was.

As they rounded the corner into the common area, Reid immediately spotted his mother, sitting on a couch at the back of the room.

As if his mother could sense her son, Diana's head came up and she locked eyes with Reid.

Reid walked quickly over to his mother, with her meeting him in the middle.

"Spencer!" she exclaimed, lovingly embracing her son.

Reid sighed contentedly in his mother's arms. _Everything was going to be okay_.


End file.
